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Sure I could write something about presidential impeachment or otherwise related to ePolitics and this little world of ours... but nah... you've already heard that. So what can I write about in my articles here? Music of course. I've been writing metal album reviews for a long time so why not add them here via this medium. Not sure how many metalheads there are out there in the eWorld, but here's the latest reposted from stygiansounds.com. Feel free to check out the site for some of my older reviews 😉

PS as a rule of thumb on ratings...

5.0 - OMFG This belongs among the all time greats
4.5 - Pretty freakin awesome. Definitely a standout of the year's releases
4.0 - Excellent. Well worth buying and a must for fans.
3.5 - Pretty solid. May have a flaw or just not quite stand out as great.
3.0 - Above average. May not blow your mind, but a decent listen.
2.5 - Getting mediocre. Not many standouts and typical
2.0 - Misses the mark. Getting boring.
1.5 - Might have a couple good songs. Pretty lame.
1.0 - Turd sandwhich.
0.5 - Turd sandwhich, extra sloppy
0.0 - Holy fuck my ears are being attacked by pure suck.

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HammerFall - No Sacrifice, No Victory
Power Metal
Nuclear Blast

1. Any Means Necessary
2. Life Is Now
3. Punish And Enslave
4. Legion
5. Between Two Worlds
6. Hallowed Be My Name
7. Something For The Ages
8. No Sacrifice, No Victory
9. Bring The Hammer Down
10. One Of A Kind
11. My Sharona (cover)

HammerFall are a band often mocked in the metal scene and I wouldn't really count myself as an exception. I liked this band's first three albums, but after that I stopped paying much attention. HammerFall have basically settled into a huge rut of fairly cheeseball and generic power metal. With that said, they still have some name value in metal if nothing else so I check out and review their releases.

Well allow to me register some surprise and tell you this album is actually pretty good. It was kind of hard to put my finger on exactly why at first but after repeated listens I noticed many of the songs just have more energy and anthemic qualities that work than the past few. Album opener Any Means Necessary is a good representation as it just has a nice rolling gallop to it coupled with some well placed chanting backround vocals and a relatively heavy guitar sound. Also featured is a nice melodic, if not technically amazing solo that is well placed. This just sounds like cool warrior kind of metal and got my head moving. It's been awhile since any HammerFall song has done that for me so I felt it worth noting and expanding on. Legion is a nice surprise as well as it blazes ahead with a good amount of speed and reminds of their earlier albums. Other tracks I'd say are more Renegade style in that they have some groove to them, but almost every track on this album seems to work pretty well. Actually, this is probably the most rock solid thing HammerFall has released.

There's only one track on here that was best never recorded and that's a horribly out of place cover of My Sharona that thankfully comes at the end of the album. I recommend you just turn this off after One Of A Kind and forget this cover snuck onto the ass end of the album. Their albums do tend to have at least one song I don't like at all, but usually it's the ballad.

Surprisingly though this is not the case with Between Two Worlds which is more subdued than usual and doesn't drown itself in cheese. This song actually has a good mellow acoustic vibe to it and works pretty well. One more surprise worth nothing is a HammerFall instrumental called Something For The Ages which rips with speed and energy. Really cool and a rare instance where I'm going to list an instrumental track as a highlight.

I don't think there will ever be a time when I list HammerFall among the top tier of power metal or call them original, but you know what? This was a good listen and it got my head moving more than once. There is a good anthemic epic vibe in this album and the songs are just full of energy. I can see myself driving to No Sacrifice, No Victory and enjoying it and that is worth something. Credit has to be given where credit is due and this is an enjoyable release that surprised the hell out of me. This may just be the best album they've released to date.

Highlights: Any Means Necessary, Legion, Something for the Ages, Punish And Enslave

Rating - 4.0/5

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Impellitteri - Wicked Maiden
Heavy/Neoclassical Metal
Victor Entertainment

1. Wicked Maiden
2. Last of A Dying Breed
3. Weapons Of Mass Distortion
4. Garden Of Eden
5. The Vision
6. Eyes of an Angel
7. Hi-Scool Revolution
8. Wonderful Life
9. Holy Man
10. The Battle Rages On

It's been almost a decade since an Impellitteri album came along with the lineup everyone really wanted to hear. Here at long last is an album bringing back together Chris Impellitteri and Rob Rock. Since Rob Rock left the band I have enjoyed his solo albums so I wasn't too disappointed, but an album back with the shred ability of Chris Impellitteri did catch my interest. Certainly, it's what this band needed. I will say I enjoyed Pedal To The Metal, but there's no denying for me that Rob Rock is the voice of this band. Or that Graham Bonnet just plain sucks.

Wicked Maiden starts with a crunch guitar riff that any Impellitteri fan would recognize as one of his and a wail from Rob Rock that leads us into a very classic title track. This is patent Impellitteri and works well. Through track 4 things continue in this familiar, welcome vein and kicks some ass. After this things start to slow a bit into a chug and groove track called The Vision which isn't bad, but gets a little boring. This is pretty much the turning point of the album as after this a couple of throw aways and some just ok tracks dominate the rest of Wicked Maiden. The throw aways comes in the form of Eyes Of An Angel and more particularly Hi-School Revolution which are both like a trip back to the 80s hair metal scene. Eyes Of An Angel isn't completely terrible, but nor is it good as it has a very power ballad sort of feel to the chorus which just makes the track sound rather cheeseball. The true cheddar doesn't show up until Hi-School Revolution though which sounds like it could've been a Motley Crue song (I'm thinking the cover of Smokin In The Boys Room). This one I definitely could've lived without. After that there's a few other songs in the familiar speed and/or crunch styles we've come to be familiar with and they don't stand out much for good or bad.

While it seems like this review may have turned a bit negative, it's really based on two tracks I had to vent about and Eyes Of An Angel is passable if not that great. So What's the final verdict? Wicked Maiden has some good things going for it, especially in the beginning, but it blows it's load early on and the rest is just ok. If the album was as strong as the first 4 tracks than this would be a high rated review. As it stands I'll give this one a 3.5. A good listen, but lacking in highlights after the first few tracks. Almost reaches greatness, but then falls short. I know the band has it in them to release another killer album and I hope the partnership with Rob Rock continues.

Highlights: Wicked Maiden, Last Of A Dying Breed, Garden Of Eden

Rating - 3.5/5

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Wolf - Ravenous
Power Metal
Century Media

1. Speed On
2. Curse You Salem
3. Voodoo
4. Hail Caesar
5. Ravenous
6. Mr. Twisted
7. Whisky Psycho Hellions
8. Hiding in Shadows
9. Love at First Bite
10. Blood Angel
11. Secrets We Keep

Ravenous marks the 5th album from Wolf who are becoming something of a brand name in power metal. Certainly, the band has accumulated a pretty good fanbase between their heavy albums and take no prisoners live shows. Count me as one of those impressed with their live show and among those enjoying their albums.

Initially I didn't think much of the single released off this album, Voodoo, but I've gotta admit that initial impression of the song or what the album may be didn't stick. That song has grown on me quite a bit and this album is everything you'd expect of a Wolf album based on their last couple albums. More and more the band is leaning away from their Maiden clone beginnings to something more their own and with a sort of dark vibe. Speed On does open the album with a great Maiden style galloper though which is a perfect way to start. This song has a lot of energy and a good quick flow that makes it a winner. After that the speed drops off a bit into songs like Curse You Salem which have more of a mid-paced heaviness about them that's more in keeping with the way the band has been headed. This track has more of a heavy edge to it and builds to a nice screaming chorus. One thing I do really like about the vocals in this band is when they build to this sort of passionate and heavy yells. Very metal. When they yell out Curse You Salem it just has a, well, ravenous quality to it I like and is a good example of backing vocals done right. Another song worth noting is Love At First Bite which has a catchy melodic roll to it that reminds me of my favorite song from them, Wolf's Blood. This is a welcome addition and the vocal layering makes the verses sound big which builds to the nice guitar and chorus combo.

The only real complaint I have with this album is that the music does get a bit samey at times and does mostly work off the same mid-paced darker power metal formula. Not all the songs stand out as much as the three mentioned and keeps this album from quite reaching that next level. A good listen, but not quite enough songwriting ingenuity to put it in contention as a top album of the year probably. Still, I'm not disappointed and would recommend this to Wolf fans.

Highlights: Speed On, Curse You Salem, Love At First Bite

Rating - 3.5/5